10 Pantry Storage Hacks That Will Keep Your Kitchen Organized And Tidy
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Not all kitchen pantries are created equal. Whether you rent an apartment with just a few shelves and drawers for storing goods, or own a home that has a dedicated pantry closet enclosed by a door, keeping things neat and easily accessible can sometimes be tricky. Finding the best way to organize your pantry will first require you to determine the pain points with your current setup.
To get to the crux of your needs, start by asking yourself questions like: Which areas of my pantry feel least accessible? Which items do I wish I could find more quickly? Which products are taking up the most space? Are there any areas of my pantry that aren't being used to their full potential? When you start to analyze the existing space and your woes with it, it can help you more quickly identify solutions. To get you started with some initial suggestions, we've compiled a list of 10 hacks to help address common pantry organization qualms. Read on to see which hacks will best improve your pantry flow!
Use tension rods to keep cans in place
If you're someone who likes to keep plenty of jarred and canned goods on hand, this hack is for you. Anita Birges — professional organizer and owner of the Sydney, Australia-based organizing company, Mise en Place — recommends using simple tension rods as pantry drawer organizers for cans and jars. Place several rods parallel to each other to create tidy columns or rows of cans and jars that you can sort by category. The rods will keep your goods from sliding around, making it easy to find exactly what you're looking for when it comes time to cook. This hack works especially well with similarly sized jars and cans, but you can also use it for other items like vinegar and oil bottles, pasta boxes, and more.
If you don't have drawers in your pantry, you can still use this hack within cabinet shelves. You can also use tension rods to create an elevated surface for small items, maximizing vertical real estate. A video from @alifebetterorganized on TikTok demonstrates this hack, with a tension rod placed close to the back of a cabinet shelf. The rod creates a small ledge to rest spice jars, while other pantry items are still able to be stored below. In addition to being versatile tools, these small tension rods are also incredibly budget friendly. A pack of six from the brand Qinsou on Amazon will only set you back around $15.
Install slide-out organizers on shelves
If you have a pantry with deep shelves, adding slide-out organizers can help maximize your space and keep your larder accessible. When you can't reach the back of the shelves, you're more likely to forget what items you have. As a result, you may let products expire and go to waste. Or, you'll spend unnecessary money on duplicate items, because you thought you didn't have something, when really it was just pushed into an obscured corner.
By adding a pull-out solution, you are able to bring the deepest part of the shelf to you, and save both time and money on last minute grocery trips. If you have the budget to build or renovate a pantry, custom pull-out cabinet shelves are a great investment. But if you are looking for a lower-cost option, there are several affordable, easy-to-install drawers on the market. The pull-out organizer from Kitstorack on Amazon comes in several widths and is installed with a strong adhesive. There's no need to pull out the drill, and you'll have your pantry shelves easy to reach in no time.
Use see through bins to keep track of pantry contents
This is a strategy that can be used in basically any type of pantry. Using clear storage containers on pantry shelves or pull-out drawers doesn't just allow you to see what is inside of that bin. It also lets you group things together by category, instead of having items randomly strewn about, making them difficult to find. And like @niceandneathomes on TikTok demonstrates, bins make it easier to take grouped items, like baking supplies, down from higher shelves. They can also provide another solution for deep, narrow pantries — if you're not looking to commit to a slide-out solution.
Take the organizational factor up a notch by adding labels to each bin, making it even easier to identify what ingredients you have or need to stock up on. If you have an open pantry setup and are worried about the accumulation of dust in transparent bins, you can opt for wire bins instead. This option from X-cosrack on Amazon comes in a pack of four, and each basket has a place for a label. The mesh wire design still allows for good visibility, while offering a different style and eliminating extra potential mess.
Upcycle jars to store dry goods
Decanting dry goods, like beans, lentils and rice, into uniform glass containers has an undeniable visual appeal. But these Pinterest-worthy pantry organizers can run up costs when purchased new. If you're looking for a cost-effective, airtight storage solution that is also environmentally friendly, consider upcycling old jars from products like pasta sauce or pickles. By removing the labels and sticker residue, you can get attractive containers that, at no additional cost, allow you to see exactly what you have available in your pantry.
To get the clean, high-quality look you're going for, you'll need a surefire method for removing the sticky label glue. To do this, @katcancook on TikTok recommends a technique that uses several common household products. First, start by soaking your jar in soapy water. Then, apply a combination of oil and baking soda to the remaining adhesive, and scrub away with a piece of bunched up aluminum foil. Rinse off, and then you're done! As an alternative, you can always use an adhesive removing product like Goo Gone, which is only $4 at Ace Hardware, and makes quick work of leftover adhesive and other gooey messes.
Use existing food and beverage packaging
Sometimes it can seem like an organized pantry is only achievable by purchasing a bunch of new bins, containers, and other gadgets. But, the reality is that you can keep your pantry in order for free — all by being smart about the resources you already have. One of the most simple and economical ways to whip your pantry into shape is to utilize the boxes that food and beverages are already packaged into.
This hack works especially well when you buy items in bulk from wholesale retailers, such as Costco. In a pantry restocking TikTok, Terena of @motherhoodonpurpose demonstrates how a pantry can be neat by keeping similarly sized and shaped items together, and by making quick, simple adjustments to existing packaging. Here, cutting the top flaps of cardboard off the boxed case of Vita Coco bottles does exactly the job that a separately purchased bin would. It keeps the bottles together, but without the scrappy edges of packaging. And what's more, is when these boxes are empty, you can recycle them, or even repurpose them as bins for other food items that need wrangling.
Keep track of expiration dates on decanted food
If the method to your pantry madness entails transferring certain products from their original packaging to uniform containers, we totally understand. But a friendly reminder — don't forget to take note of the expiration date on the packaging you throw away. A beautiful pantry is only truly functional if it ensures the quality of the things you're eating on a day to day basis.
A couple easy hacks make keeping track of expiration dates a breeze. The first is to just use a permanent marker to write the date directly onto the bottom of plastic or glass containers. Then, when it comes time to refill, you can simply remove the old marker with an alcohol swab, or a paper towel with a bit of rubbing alcohol. You can even use nail polish remover if you don't have isopropyl on hand. Don't want to deal with smelly solvent at all? Make things even simpler by writing the date on a piece of masking tape or painters tape. Then, simply remove and replace with a new bit of tape when you add new food into the container.
Use the door for additional snack storage
If you're lucky enough to have a dedicated pantry space tucked behind a door, make use of the door itself for additional, convenient food storage. Whether you want to clear off your shelves for a bit more pantry breathing room, or you need to use every last shred of possible space, the door may be your unsung storage hero.
TikTok creator @athomewithshannon shows how she employs her pantry door by using an over-the-door shoe organizer hack. Instead of shoes, each pocket is filled with easy-to-see snacks. This is great for giving kids easy access to everyday snacks in the lower pockets, while keeping special occasion foods higher up and out of reach (at your discretion). As far as pantry organization gadgets go, see through, over-the-door shoe racks, like the SimpleHouseware option from Amazon, cost only around $14 or less.
Store your spices vertically
Spices can be one of the trickiest items to organize in a pantry space. The jars are small, meaning they can move around easily and get lost in the depths of a cabinet. And because there are typically so many, it can be difficult to see at a glance what you have available. But after a lot of trial and error, we have personally landed on a vertically oriented spice rack — and many home organizers online agree that this is the best way to keep your spices easily accessible and neatly lined up.
There are several ways to store your spices vertically, one of which takes a cue from the aforementioned hack: using an over the door spice rack. Creator @organizedmarie on TikTok shows how this kind of rack is set up, and allows easy visibility for all spices. If you don't have a door, but still have some free wall space, consider wall-mounted shelves to keep your spices in line. This set of four from Ultimate Hostess on Amazon comes with traditional mounting hardware to be used with a drill. But they also come with strong adhesive mounts if you want to avoid putting holes in your wall altogether. With either of these solutions, gone are the days of last minute runs to the grocery store because you thought you didn't have a certain spice (when really it just got relegated to the back of a dark shelf).
Use turntables in pantry shelf corners
If you have a pantry with shelves that extend into corners, you may have experienced the struggle of getting items in and out of the corner space. Maybe you even gave up all together and that shelf surface area is sitting unused. Don't let that space go to waste any longer, and put it to work with a simple solution: a turntable.
Placing a lazy Susan-style contraption on corner shelves makes the inaccessible accessible. TikTok creator @organizedbysinti shows how adding a turntable to the dead space of a pantry corner creates easy access to oils, vinegars, and more. These turntables come in a number of different sizes, so you're more than likely to find one that fits your shelf's depth. And if you want to go even further in tidying the items on your spinning corner organizer, there are wedge-shaped acrylic bins created exactly for this purpose. You'll never need to neglect a fussy pantry again!
Store back stock items in bins on wheels
When you buy certain food items in bulk, not everything may fit on your pantry shelves all at once. If your shelves are organized to the nines, don't leave your back stock out of the picture. You can keep spare products neat by using large designated bins that sit on the floor of your pantry.
Make your bulk purchases even more convenient to access by putting them on wheels. This is an especially great hack for any heavy items, like bottles and cans. Creator @grammamillenial on TikTok shows how to turn woven baskets you may already have on hand into mobile containers for pantry goods. You will need woven baskets (wire baskets will also work here). Additionally, you will need slatted plant caddies with caster wheels on the bottom (this three-pack of Cedelis caddies from Amazon is well priced at $22). Last but not least, you'll need some zip ties.
The slatted caddy and the open structure of a woven or wire bin is essential for this DIY. Both designs allow for zip ties to be threaded through the spaces, which is how you are able to join the wheels to the basket. The addition of wheels not only makes your pantry items easier to pull out and restock. It also makes the bins slightly elevated from the floor, keeping things a bit cleaner in the event of any accumulated dirt and debris.